Practice and Application Flashcards
7 cards from real C2 practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Practice and Application flashcards as text
A diplomat needs to soften a firm rejection without causing offense. Which phrasing best demonstrates C2 pragmatic competence?
Answer: While we deeply appreciate the spirit of your proposal, we find ourselves unable to proceed along those particular lines.
C2 pragmatic competence involves deploying elaborate hedging and face-saving constructions to convey refusal diplomatically.
Which sentence correctly uses a double negative for stylistic emphasis in formal literary English?
Answer: It was not without a certain irony that she accepted the prize.
'Not without' is a deliberate litotes construction used in formal writing to add nuance, whereas the others are grammatical errors.
A speaker says, 'You've really outdone yourself this time,' in a flat tone after a colleague makes a serious error. What pragmatic phenomenon is at work?
Answer: Irony
Irony uses words that mean the opposite of their literal sense, often signaled by tone or context, to convey criticism or humor.
Which best illustrates register-switching appropriate to C2 proficiency?
Answer: Adapting vocabulary and syntax fluidly between a peer discussion and a board presentation on the same topic.
C2 users seamlessly adjust register, tone, and lexical choice to suit the communicative context and audience.
In academic writing, which transition best signals a concessive relationship between two ideas?
Answer: Notwithstanding
'Notwithstanding' introduces a concessive clause acknowledging a counterpoint while maintaining the main argument's direction.
A C2 writer wants to foreground the object of an action for stylistic effect. Which construction achieves this?
Answer: It was the bill that the committee approved.
A cleft sentence ('It was X that...') is a grammatical focusing device that places special emphasis on a specific element.
Which sentence demonstrates correct use of a subjunctive mood in a formal US English context?
Answer: The board insists that he attend the meeting.
The mandative subjunctive ('insists that he attend') is required after verbs of recommendation, demand, or requirement in formal US English.